some people just want to watch the world burn

WHAT WE'VE MISSED

Landon elbows my side, causing me to groan. "Lena, Lena look." He says.

I look down at his lap, seeing the knife glow a bright red. "What's happening?" I ask. "Your girlfriend didn't mention this thing glowing." I whisper.

"She's not my girlfriend." He snaps. "And if I knew why it's doing this, do you think I'd be waking you up?"

I roll my eyes, seeing it glow even brighter. "Okay, it's getting a little too bright." I confess. The thing only gets brighter and brighter. "Landon, make it stop!"

"I-I can't!" He yells. "Lena!"

"Landon!"

NOW

I open my eyes slowly, seeing a pacing Landon. "What are you doing?" I groan.

"Trying to figure out how to get out of here alive." He snaps. "What about you?"

"Trying to stay safe in this humble cellar." I say, shifting my self on the ground. "Come on, just take a nap until she scurries off."

Landon scoffs. "Lena, she's not going to! She breathes fire!" He yells. "You're my sister, Lena, but you're really dumb sometimes"

"Landon, just give me the knife."

"What?"

"I said give me the damn knife!" I shout. Landon stumbles back, surprised by my anger. "We can throw it at the fire breathing bitch and get the hell out of here!"

Landon shakes his head. "I-I can't."

"Why the hell not!?"

"I don't know!" He snaps back at me. "I don't even know when I took it!" I sigh, looking around. I purse my lips, exhaling sharply. "I'm sorry, Lena, but I don't know what we should do."

I nod. "Yeah, that's usually my job." I give a short laugh, tears running down my cheeks. "It's all my fault."

Landon frowns. "How is any of this your fault?" He asks.

"I killed Phil and dragged us into Rafael's life, I got Raf and Cassie together, I'm the one that let him drive her home." I snap. "I caused us to be here. One way or another it all leads back to me."

Landon shakes his head. "Lena, you did nothing wrong. You saved me from that sick bastard." He says, cupping my teary-eyed face. "You are all I have. You're my sister. It will always be you and me." He hugs me tightly, rubbing my back. "So, what are we going to do now."

Sniffling, I brush my hair out of my face. "We are going to-"

The cellar door opens.

Landon tosses me behind him, the only time he's ever been that ballsy. "Raf?" He asks.

I poke my head over his shoulder, and sure enough, Rafael is rushing down the stairs. "Holy hell." The two of us hug him tightly. "How did you find us?"

"There's, um, a-a lot of crazy witchy people looking for you. There's a bus full of burned-up people-"

"That wasn't us" I say.

"Then who was it?"

I look up to see Hope. I groan. "Ew, why did you bring her with you?" I snap.

Rafael looks back at her. "You said three minutes." He says.

"Like I said, people lie." She shrugs. "Corporis impetu." With a fling of her hands, Landon and I both fly into walls. Rafael shouts in protest but her face remains cold. "Where's the knife?"

"We don't have it!" I shout.

Landon shakes his head. "I-I must've lost it when I ran." He stammers, following my lead.

"After you burned the bus?"

"That wasn't us, you bitch." I shout. "We barely got out alive!"

"Hope, come on." Raf pleads.

Hope shouts at us. "Last chance. Who the hell was it?"

Landon breathes heavily. "There was this girl,"

♞

"I don't believe anything you say." Hope snaps

"You have every right to be mad at me, but I am telling you the truth." Landon replies. He looks back at Rafael. "Come on man, help me."

Rafael sighs, looking between us and Hope. "I believe him."

"You believe that a fire-breathing woman burned the bus alive?"

"Yeah." He says.

"And Landon and Lena happened to be spared?" She tosses her hand in our direction.

I roll my eyes. "Madeline." I correct.

Raf shakes his head "He told you that he ran."

"And conveniently lost the knife on the way." She scoffs.

"Yes."

I snap my head at her. "She kept coming at him like she was gonna take it from us. She was burning everything in her path."

"You want to explain to me what you were doing stealing the knife in the first place?"
she asks us.

Landon shakes his head. "I don't remember stealing it."

"Of course not. How about pretending to be compelled?"

I stand up. "That was to avoid being thrown back in the werewolf dungeon." I snap.

"Transitional cellar." She corrects me.

"Small spaces!" I shout at her, pointing to my brother.

Landon stands up, standing next to me. "Hope, you have to understand, Dr. Saltzman had already told me the school wasn't gonna let us stay." He explains softly. "If he thought I'd talk, he'd lock us back up."

"There wasn't a good ending for us." My voice is weak as I look up at her.

"I didn't want to steal from you and I don't want a fire-breather chasing me." Landon yells. "I'm sorry for all of it."

I watch my brother walk off, pacing again. "Landon," I whisper, comforting my twin.

Rafael turns to Hope "They're not lying. I know them. Now, if he says that there's a fire-breathing woman running through the woods, then there is a-"

Dr. Alaric Saltzman rushes down the stairs. "There's a fire-breathing woman running through the woods." He says suddenly. He looks at Hope and Raf, then my brother and I. "Did I or did I not say don't engage?"

"He's only dangerous if crappy apologies can kill." Hope snaps. "She's just a bitch."

"Right back at you." I snap.

"Looks can be deceiving." Saltzman sighs. "Now our bus refugee, turns out she's a pyromancer."

Landon interrupts. "Wait, wh-what's a pyromancer?" He stutters.

"A fire-breathing witch." Hope says

I raise my eyebrows up. "Huh, sounds familiar." I hum.

Hope disregards my comment. "Ric, she wants the knife."

"Okay, well, where is it?" Dr. Saltzman asks, looking between the two of us.

Landon and I look back at us. "I-I lost it in the woods." Landon lies.

I follow along. "We were running around in circles all night trying to find a place to hide, and we lost track of it."

Dr. Saltzman nods. "Okay, okay. Well, let's, uh, find it before she does, huh?"

♞

We rush out of the cellar, seeing the oh so friendly fire breathing witch. "We don't want any trouble." Saltzman says.

The lady holds out her hand, causing us all to frown. "What does she want?" Raf asks.

"I don't know." Landon lies.

Rafael watches the lady step closer, her hand out towards my brother. "Lan?"

I scoff, stepping in front of Landon. "Give me it."

"What? No!" Landon hisses.

"Landon, give me the knife or I'll take it myself." I snap.

Hope tilts her head to the side. "She wants the knife you said you don't have." We all look back at the lady, who's eyes glow orange.

"Back in the cellar, go." Saltzman urges us back. "Go, go, go, go."

"Where the hell is it?" Hope snaps, shoving my brother.

"I'm sorry. I panicked." Landon confesses, handing her the knife

Rafael looks up at us. "What the hell, guys?"

"Hope, the doors." Saltzman orders.

"Got it." Hope turns back. "Adiuuatur." The doors flames diminish, and she sighs. "Okay, it's a quick fix. It won't last long."

Saltzman nods. "All right, great, I need a cell phone." He says.

I hum, "Alrighty," I turn to the stash in the cellar. "Take your pick."

They look at all the objects, "What is all this?" Hope asks. Saltzman just grabs the closest phone, dialing whoever.

Rafael looks at a small card. "It's from the people on the bus." He looks back at Landon and I.

"I didn't bring it here. I-"

"If he says "I swear" one more time, I'm gonna melt him." Hope snaps.